Ragi or Finger Millet is a very nutritious grain and has been used in many parts of South India since ages. But it has never been accepted by my family so far, owing to the earthy taste and the unappealing color. I have so far tried Ragi vermicelli which was good, tried ragi flour in the form of Uthappam and Multi Grain Rotis and now these chaklis/murukkus. So looks like we are getting there :).

I saw this recipe at Suma's Veggiplatter and thought I should try this. I tried a small batch of these chaklis and found that my kids took an instant liking to these and so made a huge batch to their delight! So I have found yet another way to sneak in Ragi in our diet. I wish to explore some other healthier ways of cooking with Ragi in the near future.

In a mixing bowl, Add the flours, spices and mix well. Rub in the ghee and knead into a stiff dough adding water gradually.

Keep the chakli or murukku press with the single star disc (Or any other disc if preferred) ready.

To check if the oil is ready, slide a tiny sample of the dough into the hot oil and if it sizzles and rises to the top then the oil is ready.

After the oil is hot enough, fill the murukku press with adequate dough (Don't forget to keep the remaining dough covered) and press the mould over the oil in a circular motion so that the dough coils drop in circular shape (or whatever shape).

Fry them until they are uniformly cooked and turn crisp.

Remove them with a slotted ladle onto kitchen paper towels and repeat the process with the rest of the dough.